After 71 years, S.S. Admiral being dismantled

(KMOV) -- Seventy-one years after its construction, demolition crews are currently dismantling the S.S. Admiral piece by piece.

They are using cutting torches to take valuable scrap metal off the boat and put it into a barge docked on the east side of the vessel.

According to Wikipedia, the S.S. Admiral launched in June 1940 and cost a million dollars to construct. It's 374 feet long and 92 feet wide. It most recently served as the President Casino, until its owner gave up its license. Pinnacle Entertainment did not want to invest in costly repairs to keep the vessel's Coast Guard certification.